1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to a processing apparatus, system and method for processing checks in communication with a host computer.
2. Description of Related Art
Payment systems using checks are widely used throughout Europe and North America (world wide). This payment system enables businesses and consumers to use checks to make payments and financial transfers of many kinds. When a check is written, it is ultimately presented to the bank on which the check was drawn to either deposit or withdraw funds.
Bank tellers at each bank branch typically process many checks in a short time. The bank teller also typically confirms check validity, the check date, and the signature before completing the deposit or withdrawal. The teller also prints an endorsement on the back, and issues a transaction receipt as required. The teller may also require a driver license or other photo ID to check the identity of the person presenting the check, and in some situations may make a photocopy of the license or photo ID using a copying machine. A copy of the check is also captured and stored using a specialized check Scanner.
To process checks more efficiently by electromagnetically reading and processing information from each check, compact check processing terminals that can be installed at each teller window have been developed so that each teller can process checks more quickly with dependable accuracy.
These check processing terminals have a magnetic ink character reader (MICR), scanner, and printing mechanism disposed along the check transportation path. When a check is received from a customer, the teller passes the check through the check processing terminal. The check processing terminal thus reads the magnetic ink characters printed on the check, captures an image of the check, and may print an endorsement on the back. See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2000-344428.
In Japanese patent application 2003-066747 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/759,868), a check processing apparatus is described which can image both checks and cards such as a driver license. The check transportation path and the card transportation path in this check processing apparatus share part of the same media transportation path. A contact image sensor (CIS) scanner is disposed to this common portion of the transportation path so that a single scanner can be used to scan and image different types of media, that is, both checks and cards.
A common problem of check processing terminals with this type of medium transportation path is that two or more checks may unintentionally be conveyed simultaneously along the transportation path. This is called “multifeed,” and the problem is inherent. One approach to solving this problem is to provide a detector that detects multifeeding by directly or indirectly detecting the thickness of the medium being transported through the check processing apparatus.
Because multifeed detection by this multifeed detection device is not completely dependable, when the multifeed detection device does not detect multifeeding because of some operational error, the check processing apparatus might process only the front of the check and not process the back of the check. If this occurs a record of the unprocessed back of the check is not stored in the check processing apparatus. Nevertheless the check is discharged as though the front and back was processed properly and bundled with other correctly processed checks. This unprocessed check must be later retrieved from the bundle of processed checks and passed again through the check processing apparatus to complete the processing of the check. This is a time-consuming nuisance.
Moreover, when the check processing apparatus also prints an endorsement or other information recording the transaction on the back of processed checks, and two checks are processed together without multifeeding of the checks being detected, it is possible that the transaction record for the front check will be printed on the back of the back check. In this case the transaction record is not printed on the correct check.
The present invention is directed to a processing apparatus, system and method for processing checks in communication with a host computer for solving the above problems.